Undergraduate / UBC - tell us about who you are: intiative-taker [3]

Tell us about who you are.

How would your family, friends, and/or members of your community describe you? If possible, please include something about yourself that you are most proud of and why. (maximum 250 words)

Growing up as a skinny, gay Asian kid, I was bullied. My bullies, like many others, have a way of making me feel as if no one would ever stand up for me. As I matured, however, this feeling led me to grow into a leader that is not afraid to stand up for myself. Perhaps this is why friends compare me to Michelle Obama - a flattering comparison, I must admit, but a true one. Many in the community that I have worked with say that, like her, I am not afraid to stand up and take initiatives in positions of leadership; and when I do, I sharply analyze the situations around me and their potential underlying issues, then step up and take action to address them.

My desire to stand up transformed into action when I joined Student Council. Today, as a Student Council Exec, I am proud to say that my job is all about stepping up to act. For instance, after leading a recent poster-making session, I quickly realized that our pre-COVID poster-making format was unsafe. I immediately contacted my fellow execs and proposed a new format: one where students divide up the poster workload across the building. Many similar experiences at Student Council enabled me to transform a courage to stand up into an initiative-taking action blueprint: if I see something wrong, I make a plan, and fix it - a principle I now proudly encompass as a leader.

This is quite an early draft so please please scrutinize! @holt i know you always have some amazing insights so if you can please chime in :) anyone else please also just absolutely bash me as u see fit! Thank you all so much!!!!